Un bel dì vedremo


"Un bel dì vedremo" is a soprano aria from the opera Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is sung by Cio-Cio San on stage with Suzuki, as she imagines the return of her absent love, Pinkerton.
"Un bel dì vedremo" is the opera's most famous aria and one of the most popular pieces in the soprano repertoire.

Dramatic setting

Early in act 2, three years after her marriage to U.S. naval officer B. F. Pinkerton, Cio-Cio San awaits the return of her long-absent husband to Japan. Her maid, Suzuki, does not believe that Pinkerton will come back, but Butterfly is optimistic. Trying to convince Suzuki of Pinkerton's loyalty, Butterfly sings of an imaginary scene in which a thread of smoke on the far horizon signals the arrival of a white ship into Nagasaki harbour, bringing her long-lost love back to her. The imagined scene culminates in a romantic reunion.
The aria is noted for its lyrical beauty, and it is of particular dramatic importance as Butterfly's yearning expressed in the song is later met with tragedy. Butterfly's longed-for "beautiful day" is heralded at the end of act 2 by the arrival of Pinkerton's ship, but it proves to be her last; Butterfly learns that Pinkerton has married another woman, and at the end of the opera the distraught Butterfly takes her own life. "Un bel dì vedremo" is especially significant as it appeals to audiences with its emotive melody but also encapsulates the tragedy at the heart of the opera, foretelling Cio-Cio San's inevitable demise.

Performance

The aria was first performed by the soprano Rosina Storchio at the premiere of Madama Butterfly on 17 February 1904 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In the revised version of the opera it was sung by the Ukrainian soprano Solomiya Krushelnytska.
The English translation of the song was performed by Deanna Durbin in her 1939 film First Love.
In 1984 the pop musician Malcolm McLaren adapted the aria for his single "Madam Butterfly ", a synth-pop remix of opera and 1980s R&B. The record reached No.13 in the UK Singles Chart and was included on McLaren's album of the same year, Fans.

Lyrics

"Un bel dì vedremo" occurs in act 2 in both the original and the revised version. The Italian text here below is taken from the first version of the libretto, published by Ricordi in 1904.